Growing, Preparing, and Buying Good Food

Tag Archives: open-pollinated

I wonder whether Harry Potter knew that basil might be used as an antidote for basilisk’s venom? I read the books and watched all the movies and not until today did I realize the connection between basil and basilisk. It seems so evident now!

Besides a huge selection of herb seeds, they also have organic dried herbs, herb plants, and liquid extracts. They are what they claim, “Herb Specialists”. They are located near Toronto, Canada. They offer several free seminars beginning in February. Might be an excuse to go to Toronto.
Note: They sponsor SeedZoo, a project where you can grow endangered plant species.

If you have ever wondered about the difference between heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, Seedsavers has your answer. I copy it below from their web site.

“Our collections contain heirloom and open-pollinated (OP) varieties. Heirlooms are OPs with a long history of being cultivated and saved within a family or group. They have evolved by natural or human selection over time. All heirlooms are open-pollinated by insects or wind, without human intervention. (The exception to this is hand-pollination, when a person simulates the effect of wind or insects for isolation purposes.) Though all heirlooms are OPs, not all OPs are heirlooms; that is, not all OPs are accompanied by a story of being maintained by one family or group.”

Seedsavers has a nice selection of cooking beans. We raised the Jacob’s Cattle beans for several years and they made great baked beans. They were originally cultivated by the Passamaquoddy Indians in Maine.